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Mr. Williamson smiled. He had waited to see what they thought before speaking. “I can assure you that that was not the subject, gentlemen.”

Both young men eyed the older gentleman now standing between them, awaiting his further pronouncements. After all, he was the most experienced of the group, having been married for over thirty years before his wife had died.

“When women get together, they talk about us.”

Evan and William both stiffened and sought their own wife’s form below as their faces darkened at that revelation. This made the vicar smile. “Oh, do not look so troubled! I found that as long as my wife had another married woman in whom to confide, she was more content with me. More satisfied overall.”

At their dubious expressions, he added, “Especially in our bedchamber.”

At that pronouncement, the shoulders of both young men relaxed, and they each took a deep breath and smiled to themselves. At this point, Williamson felt free to put forward further advice.

“I always offer this counsel to married men, especially young married men. Remember to court your wife as though you were still trying to win her heart ... not only with gifts but with words of your devotion. Gifts are wonderful and certainly warranted, but sentiments will reward you long after the gifts are forgotten.”

Mr. Williamson smiled as each man again peered out the window, seeking his wife in the group below. “I do not think that that advice was necessarily needed in your situations, as I have seen firsthand the devotion between you and your wives, but I feel a need to pass along what I have learned to the next generation.”

William volunteered, “It is too bad that Charles was not here to be enlightened. I fear he has learned too much about my stock of liquor and not enough about his wife.”

They were still laughing when Bingley came into the room holding an unopened bottle of brandy. “I found it, Darcy! This is the brand I was referring to last night. Mrs. Reynolds assured me that you have plenty left in the cellar, despite Colonel Fitzwilliam’s designs to do away with every last bottle.”

Seeing the smiles that spoke of secrets shared, he asked, “What?”

Later that day

Jane and Georgiana were resting, along with Peter and Millie, leaving Elizabeth to her own devices—finally!

It had been wonderful hosting Jane and Charles for the entire time they had been in Derbyshire, and now that they had moved into their own estate of Glendale, which was close by, there were frequent visits from her beloved sister. And since Georgiana lived as close as Jane, it made sense for the three of them to spend copious amounts of time together enjoying the camaraderie that she had always craved.

But, if she were to be truthful, she had to admit that sometimes ... sometimes she wished for the house to be free of everyone save her husband. She longed for the early, uninhibited days of their marriage when William had barred all the servants from the upper floors unless they were expressly summoned. She blushed, remembering the looks on the faces of the maids as William had rung for dinner trays, hot baths, and even changes of the sheets in her bedchamber as they took up residence in his freshly made bed.

All these memories kindled a need she could not suppress a moment longer; consequently, a quick search of William’s bedchamber revealed that he was not upstairs. Swiftly she traversed the hallway and then the grand staircase in her quest to find him before someone demanded attention from one of them. As she did, a niggling thought crossed her mind—was he still ensconced with the men?

As she crossed off each successive room in her hunt, her hopes began to fade. It seemed he was nowhere to be found in the house, which meant he had probably gone riding. Her disappointment was so raw that she could not suppress the tears that suddenly appeared. She desperately needed to touch him, to hold him, if only for a moment!

A maid was coming towards her as she entered the hallway outside his empty study, so she tried to recover by walking away, into the quiet library. Without stopping, she crossed to the double doors that led unto the terrace and practically ran into the cool afternoon air. Taking a deep breath to calm herself and control her disappointment, she closed her eyes.

“Fancy meeting you here, Mrs. Darcy.”

William’s warm baritone caught Elizabeth by surprise, and when she opened her eyes, he stood before her, giving her no chance to wipe away the evidence of her distress. Having successfully convinced all the men to go riding without him, he had been walking up from the stables, when he saw her run out onto the terrace. Making short work of the distance between them, he was concerned to see the look of misery on her beautiful face and further distressed to find that she had been crying.

Pulling her into his embrace, he whispered, “Elizabeth? Darling, what is wrong?”

“You!” His brows knit in surprise. “I wanted you, but I could not find you and ...”

He was smiling now, for as he placed kisses in her dark locks, he understood. “I know, sweetheart. I want you, too.” Leaning down, he captured her mouth in a burning kiss before whispering, “Let us not waste a minute of this precious time.”

With those words, he took her hand and began leading her through the doors, into the library and out into the foyer. At the steps, he picked her up so he could take them faster. She giggled despite herself.

“What will our guests think if they see us?”

“Let them think whatever they like!”

William was aroused by the time he attained the landing and practically ran with her to his bedchamber. There he managed to open the door without putting her down, and once inside, kicked the door closed, as was his habit when overcome with desire.

They frantically undressed as he backed her towards his huge bed, and as they bumped into it, he picked her up and tossed her lightly onto the soft bedding and numerous pillows. She giggled as he joined her and was just as swiftly lying atop her.

Pulling back to look into her eyes and run the back of his fingers over her cheek, he breathed, “Have I told you today that I love you more than life, my Elizabeth?”

“Not in those exact words, my darling.”